Echoes
by Evilsnotbag
Summary: Connie unexpectedly get her period during sword practice, but doesn't know what's happening to her.


**Hi, this is my first ever fanfic that I've decided to publish. Please be gentle :3**

 **Long overdue edit: This is an AU (many people have pointed out in the reviews that gems don't have periods, well of course they don't. I've kept forgetting to add the 'AU' tag for well, more than a year now, but here it is, finally)**

 **All characters in this story belong to Rebecca Sugar! This story is purely an expression of love for the show 'Steven Universe' and all its sweet characters.**

 **This story takes place a few weeks after the episode 'Sworn by the Sword'.**

Steven was sitting on the beach, lazily drinking a soda and leaning his back against Lion. Their day had been filled with sand and sun and now they were taking an extended break in the shade of the temple. Just as Steven was about to fall asleep, the screen front door to the house opened and someone stepped out on the terrace. Connie came into view and Steven called out to her.

"Hey Connie!"

"Oh, hi Steven, hi Lion" she said in surprise.

"I thought you had sword practice with Pearl all afternoon?" Steven asked.

"Yeah, me too... Something came up." she answered evasively. "I've gotta go, Steven."

"But you said we were gonna hang out after practice and watch season three of 'Under the Knife'..." Steven said, disappointment heavy in his voice.

Connie's face looked pained. "I'm sorry, Steven. Oh, no... " Connie blanched and clutched at the strap of her bag as if it would give her strength. She turned around quickly and looked as if she was about to sprint away.

"Connie!" Steven exclaimed in shock, Connie froze. "You're bleeding!" he stared at the seat of Connie's shorts and down her legs. A dark drop fell on the sand. Lion perked up and sniffed the air. "Did Pearl hurt you?! There's a lot of blood, Connie!" Steven stood up as he spoke the words in a worried voice, his eyebrows knit with fear.

Connie stood stock still and silent. Steven walked up to her and gently touched her right shoulder. "Connie? Are you OK?" Steven could feel his friend trembling. "Come on, let's go upstairs, the gems can help" he stepped around to look at Connie's face. She looked away from him, but he could see tear tracks down her cheeks and see her lower lip trembling. Steven got angry. "I'm gonna have a word with Pearl about this!" he grabbed her hand and stomped off back the house Steven yelled "PEARL!" Connie tried to say something to Steven but got interrupted by a gasp and a squeak as Amethyst abruptly awoke on, and subsequently fell off the couch with a crash.

"What's with the yelling? I was having such an awesome dream..." Amethyst mumbled bleary eyed.

"S-Steven, don't -" Connie tried to precede Steven's response, but got interrupted by it instead. "Connie's hurt!"

"Connie's what?" the purple gem asked with a confused look on her face. "Oh, hey Connie"

"Have you seen Pearl? I need to talk to her about this! She can't just injure my best friend and send her away like this!" Amethyst glanced over at a defeated and embarrassed looking Connie. Her eyes traveled down. "Hey, you're dripping, girl" at this comment from Amethyst, Connie blanched and muttered a weak "Sorry" before dashing into the bathroom and slamming the door.

"Amethyst! Connie's hurt!" Steven glared at her. "Stop being so insensitive and help me find Pearl!" Amethyst got up with a yawn and a stingy "Fine". Steven got some paper towels and started cleaning up the little trail of blood from the front door to the bathroom.

Amethyst sauntered over to the gem door and pounded on it saying loudly: "Pearl, come down and deal with your mess, I've got napping to do!" after a moment, Pearl's gem activated and the door slid open. The tall, pale gem stepped into the house looking mildly surprised. "What mess?" she asked. "Connie's hurt. Move, will you? I wanna nap some more, and I can't do it in this place with all the yelling and stuff!" Amethyst shouldered her way past Pearl and walked through the door to her own room. Pearl looked astonished at both Amethyst's actions and words.

"Steven? Is Connie hurt?" Pearl asked with concern, stepping down off the warp pad. Then she saw Steven wiping he floor.

"Yeah, Pearl, she's hurt" Steven said as he scrubbed. "I thought you were gonna go easy on her with the sword training! She's a human, she's not a durable as us gems. You need to be careful!" he glared angrily at Pearl.

"What? But I didn't injure Connie. We had barely started warming up and then she said she wasn't feeling well and asked if we could stop. We did, and she warped out a few minutes ago" Pearl said in a confused voice.

The confusion was echoed in Steven's eyes as he said: "But why is she bleeding?"

"She's bleeding?! What happened?" Pearl's eyes widened and her hands rose to her mouth.

"Now I don't know! I thought she'd gotten injured sparring with you!" Steven responded exasperatedly.

The warp pad pinged and Garnet appeared stating: "What is going on up here?"

"Connie's bleeding a lot for no reason!" Steven said with tears in his eyes.

"Where is she?" Garnet asked in her calm but stern voice.

"She went to the bathroom" Steven pointed. Garnet and Pearl's eyes met and they moved to the door together. Pearl gently knocked on the door.

"Connie? Are you OK?" there was no response. Pearl put her ear to the door. "I think she's... Crying, oh dear"

"Hang on a second" Garnet turned to Steven "How old is she?"

"T-twelve, like me" Steven answered, a bit unsure why this was important. Garnet pondered this a moment and then asked "Did you see where the injury was?"

"I didn't see, but there was a lot of blood on the back of her pants and down her legs... Is she gonna be OK?" Steven's eyes were brimming with tears.

Garnet and Pearl exchanged a look of understanding and both of them relaxed markedly.

"Yes, Steven, Connie's going to be just fine" Pearl said with a soft reassuring way.

"Really?" Steven said, relief evident in his voice.

"Yes, but we're gonna need a moment with Connie alone right now. Here" Garnet grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled a few things on it and handed it to Steven. "Go call your dad and ask him to take you to the grocery store and get these items. Hurry back"

Steven took the note and went outside to call his dad.

"Hi dad, can you take me to the grocery store?" Steven asked.

"Er hi son, sure we can go to the store. Does it have to be now though? I'm in the middle of writing a song."

Steven poked his head in the house, but before he could say anything, Garnet said "Now, Steven".

"Yep, now" Steven said.

"Is everything OK over there?"

"I think so, I just need to get some things for Garnet"

"For Garnet?" Greg paused. "Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes. Meet me by the pier?"

"Ok dad, see you soon!" Steven hung up the phone and started to head towards the pier.

Back in the house, Garnet and Pearl waited till they could no longer hear Steven before knocking gently on the bathroom door again.

"Connie, Steven's gone now" Pearl said in a soft voice. "It's just us girls here. I think we should have a little talk" in a small whisper to Garnet Pearl said "Maybe it should just be Connie and I for a little bit?" Garnet nodded and walked to the gem door, turning before walking through and mouthing 'call if you need me'. "It's just you and I now, Connie"

Pearl sighed and rubbed her face, filled with joy and sadness at possibly the only opportunity she would have to have this talk with anyone in her life.

From inside the bathroom, Pearl could hear the young girl moving around and then the unmistakable sound of a nose being blown.

"Can I come in?" Pearl asked. After a moment the lock clicked. Bracing herself slightly, Pearl turned the handle and stepped inside the bathroom. She was met with a floor partially smeared with blood from Connie's panicked pacing.

"Oh, dear" Pearl thought loudly. Then she looked at Connie, standing in the middle of the room, eyes streaming, lower part of her body more red than anything and arms wrapped tightly around herself. Pearl's heart broke at the sight of her student, and she took two quick strides and enveloped her in a gentle hug. "Oh Connie" she whispered quietly as she stroked Connie's beautiful dark hair. "I know you must be scared, but it's alright. It's OK. You're going to be fine. Have this happened before? Do you know what this is?" at Pearl's compassionate words, Connie shook her head and then started to cry, leaning against Pearl's thin chest. Pearl's heart swelled with compassion and warmth at the trust Connie was putting in her at this moment. She remembered her own surprise when something similar happened to her around the level of physical maturity as Connie was now. How Rose had sat her down and talked about the multi colored visitor (blood color depend on gem color). She knew it must be a little different for humans, but her library had prepared her. In fact she had thought she would have 'the talk' with Steven about sex and things. 'Oh dear, maybe I'll have to later today', she thought to herself.

"It's going to be alright, my brave little warrior" Pearl hummed tenderly to Connie. After quite some time in the embrace, Connie made a motion and Pearl unwrapped her from their lengthy hug. "OK, Connie. I've got quite a lot to tell you, but first, let's get you cleaned up, OK?"

Connie stepped back and looked at herself and the floor with horror. "I'm so sorry!" Connie squeaked, and tears ran down her cheeks again.

"Don't worry about it, dear!" Pearl said reassuringly and placed a hand on Connie's shoulder, lifting her chin with her other hand. "Why don't you step in the shower and I'll clean this up" Connie started to speak but Pearl interrupted her, "Connie, I'm telling you, it's OK. This is nothing compared to cleaning up after Amethyst" Pearl stated with a reassuring yet joking smile. "Are you sure?" Connie asked timidly. "Yes, now go take a shower and I'll put your clothes in the washing machine. You can borrow some of Steven's for a while, I'm sure he won't mind" Pearl turned her back to give Connie some privacy. After a moments hesitation, Pearl heard Connie undress and step in the shower and turn it on. Grabbing some cleaning supplies out of the bathroom closet, Pearl made quick work of the floor and then picked up Connie's clothes and went to put them in the laundry machine. She cleaned herself up a bit before returning to the bathroom with a set of towels and a change of clothes for Connie.

"Connie, I'm leaving some towels and clothes right outside the shower. Do you mind if I stay in here with you? There's something I need to show you" Pearl asked, forcing her voice to remain steady. She wondered if Rose had been apprehensive about this next part. Connie wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. "I will explain everything, but before that there is one practical thing left to do" Pearl's voice was a little strained.

Connie found Pearl sitting on the closed toilet lid with a pair of panties in her hands. Connie's cheeks flushed.

"Ok, this" Pearl held up a pink plastic package, "is called a sanitary napkin, or pad. You unwrap it like this and place it in your underwear like this, then you put them on. The pad will catch the blood" Pearl's cheeks were a pale blue. "We only had one left, sorry. It was Amethyst's time to go get them, but you know how she is... So, um, I'll just leave these here. I'll be outside" Pearl left the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Connie stepped out of the bathroom, wearing one of Steven's red star t-shirts and a pair of blue shorts. It all looked very baggy on Connie, but it had been the best option, since Pearl's clothes would be too small. The borrowed panties had belonged to Amethyst, who had managed to shrink them when using the washing machine.

"There we are" Pearl said with a smile. "Come have a seat, Connie".

Connie sat down on the sofa, placing both hands on her stomach.

"Ok. Connie, what's happening to you right now is what is called a period. This happens to every human female, and to every gem, but that's a bit different. Girls start their periods between nine and fifteen years of age. It happens every month and goes on for three to seven days at a time. The period is the last stage of what is called the menstrual cycle, which starts with an egg being released from your ovary, then it travels down a fallopian tube to your uterus. The lining of the uterus has thickened, awaiting the egg. If the egg get fertilized, it might make a baby, but if it isn't, the uterus sheds its lining. And that is your period. This cycle goes round and round until you hit menopause, somewhere in your late forties. Before or during your period you might get cramps, which is your uterus working hard to get rid of the lining. Is your lower abdomen hurting?" Pearl spoke fast and the question at the end surprised Connie, who had been listening raptly.

"Huh? Y-yeah, it's why I asked to stop the training session. I thought I was getting sick" Connie responded shyly.

"Ah, here" Pearl concentrated a moment, the gem on her forehead starting to glow. With a small, silken sound, an elongated cloth bag formed in front of them, falling neatly into Pearl's waiting hands. "This is a heating and cooling pad. Put it in the freezer, it can help injuries like sprains and such, put it in the microwave it can help alleviate pain from stringent exercise or menstrual cramps. I always carry it with me. You never know when it comes in handy" Pearl put it in the microwave and turned it on.

"Pearl?" Connie asked tentatively.

"Yes, Connie?"

"Is it always going to be like this? Is there always so much of... Everything?"

Pearl pondered a moment before answering. "If you're talking about the amount of blood, it varies from person to person and on what day of the cycle it is. But there can also be an increase in emotional sensitivity, or a change in appetite, headaches..." the microwave dinged and Pearl placed the heating pad on Connie's stomach. Connie responded with a relieved sigh. "Everyone experiences this time differently. Before the period starts, mood swings, cravings and body aches are called PMS, which stands for Pre Menstrual Syndrome. When Garnet is PMSing she gets an even shorter fuse than normal, Amethyst eats everything in crazy combinations and I... Feel very vulnerable" Pearls eyes became slightly over bright. "Rose used to..." An exasperated little laugh escaped her lips as the memories came flooding back to her. Connie looked at Pearl with empathic curiosity. With misty eyes Pearl continued, "Rose used to be able to sense it in me, or she was really good at counting, I could never figure it out. I would withdraw to my room or go up on the hill by the lighthouse and just be by myself. She would find me and stroke my cheek and tell me: 'You can always, always count on me, Pearl'." Pearl trailed off. Connie reached out tentatively and touched Pearls arm. The pale gem met Connie's gaze and saw through her own streaming eyes that Connie was crying too. Wordlessly they embraced, the heating pad falling with a thud to the floor. They held the hug until Connie uttered a little gasp of pain. "Oh my goodness" Pearl said, snapping out of her memories. She bent down to pick up the pad.

"You really miss her, don't you?" Connie asked softly.

"We all do" Garnet said from behind them in a voice that cracked slightly. Pearl and Connie turned around to see Garnet, her face also streaked with tears.

Garnet sat down on the sofa next to Pearl. To both Pearl and Connie's amazement, Garnet reached up and removed her reflective shades to wipe her three eyes with her free hand.

Steven met up with his dad at the pier and the two of them drove to the grocery store together.

"What are we getting, son?" Greg asked as they grabbed a basket.

"Garnet gave me a list. Let's see, it says... 'chocolate (lots), pickles (the ones Amethyst likes with the blue label), Strawberry ice cream, normal pads + wings, super pads + wings, super plus tampons, toilet paper'..." Steven read it all out loud and then looked up at his dad, who had blushed scarlet. "What's a 'normal pad with wings'?" Steven thought of notepads with angel wings.

"That's um... It's a, um..." Steven interrupted his father's stammering with another question "What are tampons?" Greg looked down at his son. His little boy's eyes were so innocent. But maybe he wasn't so little anymore. Greg sighed and gave his son a smile, then said "Those things, pads and tampons are what ladies use during their special time of the month"

"What special time?" Steven asked looking confused.

"Hmm, how about I tell you in the car alright? Let's get this stuff first though. I'm guessing they want this home kinda soon"

"Ok, dad" Steven ran off to find the pickles.

They meandered through the store locating nearly all the different things on the list. As they approached the hygiene section, Greg asked Steven to go see if there were any new issues of 'Ranger Dave' or 'Handsome Ullrik, the beardless Viking' by the cashier. 'That'd keep him busy for a while', Greg thought. He steeled himself for a moment before turning into the hygiene isle. It had been so long since he was here last. He hadn't had a reason to. As he strolled between the shelves of multi colored boxes a memory came floating back to him.

Rose and Greg had been to that same grocery store before, many years ago. Rose had walked forward with confidence and grabbed what she needed whilst Greg had cowered by the shopping cart, holding a fidgety Amethyst. Laughing softly, she had walked back to the cart and held the packages out to Greg. After he didn't take them immediately, she laughed a little louder and then said "Here, Greg, they're not dangerous" with a big smile. Greg held out his hands and took them from her with trembling hands.

"I've never had to buy these things, I dunno. It's girls' stuff" his cheeks reddened.

"Oh, Mr. Universe, you're so funny! In the gem home world these are sold everywhere, not confined to a tiny little isle. Maybe it's different here, human males have no need of them?" Rose asked curiously.

"No! No, we don't need those… Things, they're just for the ladies!" Greg waved his hands, dropping the box he was still holding.

"Oh, how peculiar!" Rose exclaimed. "Well, with three more or less mature gems, and one little rascal growing up fast, we're going to need lots of these" Rose tousled Amethyst's hair lovingly.

The memory faded. And there was Greg, standing alone in the isle of brightly colored items with tears in his eyes. He sighed ruefully and started to look for the items he needed.

More than a few minutes later, Greg found Steven nose deep in a comic book by the cashier.

"Can I get this one, dad? It's the new issue!" Steven asked his father excitedly.

"Sure son, put it in the basket"

Greg paid for the stuff and then they went to the van.

"Son, it's time I told you something about growing up. We men get taller and hair under our arms, on our chests and below the belt. Everything about us get bigger, even the bathing suit area. You might get zits all over the place and your voice deepens. There's a bit more to say about those things, but let's leave that for another day. For girls, it's more complicated. They grow taller too and they get the hair and the zits and things, just like boys. But there's one thing boys don't get"

"What's that, dad?" Steven asked curiously.

"Girls get the ability to make babies"

"Whoa, that's a pretty neat super power"

Greg laughed at his son's unique perspective. "That's true son, it's pretty spectacular. Women can make babies with the help of men in the act of making love. That's when your bathing suit areas connect in a very special way. A seed from the man and an egg from the woman can unite and make a baby start growing in the woman's belly, in an organ called a uterus"

"Wow" Steven said, amazed.

"The cool thing is, every month or so, women's bodies prepare for a baby. The uterus gets all full of nutrients and things to feed the possible baby. But if there isn't a seed for the egg that's waiting in the uterus, it sorta goes 'Oh, well, better luck next month' and then it gets rid of all the nutritious blood and stuff to get ready for next month. Then the blood comes out of the woman's bathing suit area over a number of days. That's what's called a period. Ladies use those things we bought to catch the blood and stuff so they can go on and do normal everyday things" Greg looked nervously at his son. Steven looked thoughtful.

"That sounds like it hurts" Steven said finally.

Greg let out a breath of relief. "Yeah, it can hurt, son"

"Is that what happened to Connie today?" Steven asked, looking into the distance.

"I don't know, what happened to Connie?" Greg asked carefully.

"There was a lot of blood on her pants and I thought Pearl had hurt her during sword practice, but Pearl and Garnet said it was alright and sent me to get these things with you..."

"Oh" Greg had a fleeting thought about what Connie's parents might say about this. "I don't know Steven. That's another thing about girls and women. It's not polite to ask if they are having their period. It's really insensitive"

"Why would I ask that?" Steven looked very surprised.

"Well, before this time of the month, ladies can get a bit more... Sensitive? A bit more emotional maybe, or angry, or emotional and angry at the same time, that's called PMS. And during the actual period they may be in pain and not feel as good as they usually do. It's different for every woman" Greg hoped for dear life he was remembering things correctly.

"That doesn't sound fun at all, dad" Steven said sadly.

"No, I suppose not son" Greg suddenly had a greater appreciation for the women in his life. "The best way to deal with all this, is to just treat your lady friends like you usually do. Hopefully they'll trust you enough to tell you they're not feeling good, and then maybe you can help make them feel better"

"Like when I have a tummy ache and Pearl brings me blankets and tell me stories?" Steven asked.

"Yeah, sort of like that. It could be anything. Asking if they want a hug, or you offering to do the dishes even though it's not your turn, or re-watching a movie for the fiftieth time. Or going to the store to pick up chocolate, ice cream and pickles" Greg said the last sentence with a smile.

"Oh, I see!" Steven said and started to laugh, he subsided after a while and then asked "But what if Connie is having her period now, what should I say?"

"Well, what were you going to do this evening before everything happened?"

"Oh, we were gonna watch season three of 'Under the Knife' and have snacks!" Steven exclaimed happily.

"I think that sounds like a great time, son. But she might want to do something else, or go home to rest. Ask her if she still wants to watch the show and then play it by ear, kid"

"Ok, dad" Steven said as they parked near the pier.

"I'll come with you, I could use a cup of coffee" Greg said as they got out of the car. He thought 'If Connie wants to go home I could drop her off '.

Pearl placed a caring hand on Garnet's massive shoulder.

"We all miss Rose. But we wouldn't trade Steven in to get her back, not in a million years, we love the little guy to bits" Garnet said smiling, whilst wiping her cheeks.

"It was so scary" Connie said suddenly. "I thought I was going to die..."

Garnet let out a snort of laughter "So did Ruby when she first started!" Connie smiled a little embarrassed.

"This period thing, it really happens to all women? Even my mom?" Connie asked doubtfully.

"Yes" Pearl answered. "Isn't she a physician? I would have thought she'd have had this talk with you?"

"I don't know. She said something about a flower and guarding its virtue at some point, but I didn't get it" Connie said slowly.

"I think that was about she wanting you to not lose your virginity" Garnet said plainly.

"Garnet!" Pearl exclaimed.

"My what?" Connie asked.

"Your virginity. If you haven't had sex with anyone, then you're a virgin" Garnet explained.

"Sex is like, when you get naked and... Touch each other, right?" Connie's cheeks flushed and then fiddled with the corner of the heating pad. Pearl looked up at the ceiling, wondering where the conversation was going.

"Yes" Garnet answered in a calm voice.

"This doesn't happen to boys, right? They don't get periods?" Connie's brow knit in worry.

"No, dear, they don't" Pearl supplied.

"Are boys grossed out by it?"

"I, um, don't know actually. The only male human apart from Steven that we spend time with is Greg. I've never seen the need to bring it up with him. Do you know, Garnet?" Pearl turned to her fellow gem.

"No idea" Garnet stated.

"I think the question to ask, Connie - is if you are grossed out by it?" Pearl said seriously.

Connie thought for a moment and then said uncertainly "Not really? Surprised, definitely. But it's what my body is designed to do right? I keep thinking about one thing - I've read hundreds of books with young heroines, and not a single one has mentioned periods. Even when the characters are older than me"

"That's strange" Garnet said.

"I think it might be a human cultural thing?" Pearl pondered.

"Does Steven know about periods?" Connie asked shyly.

"We haven't told him, but maybe Greg has? I don't know. I was thinking of talking to him when he came back from the store. What did you ask him to buy, by the way, Garnet?"

"Chocolate, strawberry ice cream, Amethyst's favorite pickles, pads, tampons and toilet paper. We were running low"

"Oh, that's thoughtful" Pearl said warmly. Connie looked confused. Pearl continued "Our PMS comfort foods. Thank you, Garnet"

"No problem"

"I think I can hear them coming back. Do you want us to talk to Steven first?" Pearl asked Connie.

"Yeah..." Connie blushed slightly. "But what do I say to him?"

"You tell him exactly as much or as little as you want, Connie" Pearl smiled at her student and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We're here if you need us"

"We're baa-aack!" Steven shouted as he opened the screen door.

"Welcome back Steven" Pearl and Garnet said together. Connie shrank into the sofa a little.

Greg stepped in after Steven, carrying a bag. "Here we are, ladies"

"Thank you, Greg" Pearl said while she and Garnet headed toward the door. "Can we have a word?"

The three of them stepped outside. This left Steven and Connie alone in the house.

"Hi Connie" Steven said, trying to remember how he normally behaved around his best friend.

"Hey Steven" Connie responded, slightly higher pitched than usual.

Outside, Pearl cleared her voice and asked quietly "Did Steven tell you what happened earlier?"

"Yes uh-huh. He asked about the t-things you wrote on the list and I tried my best to explain about women and p-the time of the month and things. I think I covered all the important bits" Greg wiped a few beads of sweat off his forehead. "I-is Connie alright? Did she, um, start her...?"

"Yes, she's alright. And yes, she started her period. We've informed her about the basics too" Pearl responded. The three adults stood around a tad awkwardly.

"It's up to them how they handle it now" Garnet stated frankly.

"I suppose" Greg said, scratching his neck. "I would love a cup of coffee"

"Ah, I think we have some inside" Pearl said, relieved at not having to stand around making small talk.

"Give them a moment" Garnet laid a restraining hand on Pearls shoulder.

"Are you OK?" Steven and Connie asked each other at the same time and then both started laughing. They looked at each other fondly. Nothing seemed to have changed between them.

"I'm OK now. Pearl told me about everything. It was really nice of her"

"Dad told me some stuff too. Growing up is weird, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"Are you hungry? I've saved some pizza poppers for our 'Under the Knife' marathon, i-if you still wanna do it?" Steven asked a bit hesitantly.

"Yeah, I'm up for it. Pizza poppers sound really good, I'm starving!" Connie said, smiling enthusiastically. She tried to stand up, but winced and sat back down again.

"I-is there something I can do?"

"Ow... Could you put this in the microwave for me?" Connie held up the lukewarm heating pad.

"Yeah, no problem!" Steven hurried over to his best friend. He stopped in front of her and looked a bit uncertain. Connie looked up at him. "D-do you want a hug?"

At Connie's faint nod, Steven sat down next to her and put his arms around her. "I'm really glad you're OK, Connie. I was really scared for a second" Steven said softly.

"I was scared too. I had no idea what was happening… Thank you for taking me back inside. I don't know what I would have done otherwise. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you, Steven"

They broke apart and Steven looked at his best friend with caring eyes. "I'll always, always be there for you, Connie"

At his words, Connie's eyes filled with tears again. "Oh, Steven!" Connie hugged him tightly.

"Connie! What was that for?"

"I just remembered something Pearl said is all" Connie smiled and then winced again.

"D-does it hurt?"

Connie hesitated a little. "Yes" she answered "but the heating pad helps a lot"

"Oh, I forgot!" Steven picked up the cloth bag and ran over to the kitchen.

Connie giggled "It's OK, Steven"

"Um, it'll be ready soon! I'll put the oven on for the pizza poppers too!"

Having stood by the door, Garnet, Pearl and Greg had heard Steven and Connie's conversation. Unconsciously, Garnet and Pearl had joined hands. All of them had tears in their eyes. As Steven had repeated Rose's words, Pearl lost it completely, but covered her mouth to not give them away.

"W-we've raised a very good boy, haven't we?" Greg said unsteadily, sniffing.

"Yes, we have" Garnet agreed in a husky voice. Pearl nodded emphatically, tears of pride cascading down her face.

THE END


End file.
